Database management is a system for managing information that supports the organization’s business processes. It involves storing data, distributing it to users and applications, editing it as needed, monitoring data changes, and protecting against data corruption due to unexpected failure. It’s a component of a company’s total informational infrastructure, which supports decision-making and growth for the business as well as compliance with laws like the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act.
The first database systems were invented in the 1960s by Charles Bachman, IBM and others. They developed into information management systems (IMS) which allowed large amounts data to be stored and retrieved for a variety of purposes. From calculating inventory to supporting complex financial accounting functions and human resource functions.
A database is a collection of tables that arrange data according to a certain scheme, like one-to-many relationships. It uses the primary key to identify records, and also allows cross-references among tables. Each table has a set of fields, referred to as attributes, that represent facts about the entities that comprise the data. Relational models, which were developed by E. F. “TedCodd Codd in the 1970s at IBM and IBM, are among the most widely used type of database today. This design is based on normalizing data to make it simpler to use. It also makes it easier to update data by avoiding the necessity of changing various databases.
Most DBMSs can support multiple types of databases and offer different internal and external levels of organization. The internal level addresses cost, scalability and other operational issues, such as the layout of the database’s physical storage. The external level is the representation of the database on user interfaces and applications. It may include a mix of different external views that are based on different data models. It also could include virtual tables that are computed using generic data to enhance the performance.
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